Payback is Bittersweet
by Mama Bear and Her Cubs
Summary: After learning that Shota put snakes all over Kahlan - Cara is out for Agiel blood. Things don't go the way she planned. Doesn't mean she doesn't get to have her fun - but it's a different kind of fun.


**Title: **_Payback is Bittersweet_

**Summary: **_Shota shows up once more. Cara has learned that Shota had put snakes all over Kahlan on Kahlan and her first meeting. Cara grew more angry at Shota than what she put Richard through. _

_Cara introduces Shota to the Agiel. _

**Pairings: **_Cara/Kahlan - Cara/Kahlan/Shota_

**Rating: **_M  
_

**Category: **_Drama/ Hurt/Comfort/ Romance/ Friendship/ Family/ Smut/ Comedy/ Family/ Spiritual/ Angst/ Suspense/ Tragedy_

**Warnings: **_Pain due to the Agiel …. sexy times due to the Agiel …. night terrors due to the Agiel oh and a lot of sexy times._

**CHAPTER ONE**

**THE AGIEL **

"This is an Agiel." Cara smirked eying the beautiful solid red rod that she had brought to her eye level. "This is truly the Mord'Sith's best friend." Turning it around and around in her hand slowly. Ever so slowly.

Shota rolled her eyes heaven ward.

Cara suddenly thrust-ed it into the She-Witch's abdomen Holding it against the thin woman's stomach as Shota let out a long blood curling scream. A wide grin lit up her mouth as she watched as the red headed Witch's eyes bugged out, then turned red in sheer pain.

"CARA!" Richard's scream could be hard from far off. She didn't move a muscle. She just kept the Agiel against Shota's abdomen She did push it a little tighter against the area. Shota's screams turned a higher pitch.

"STOP IT CARA! I COMMEND YOU TO STOP IT!" Richard was screaming as he tried to pull Cara away from Shota. He just needed to get her a few inches away and he would be able to step in between them. Richard had every confidence that Cara would never use her Agiels on him again. He just needed to get Cara to move back so the Agiel was no longer pressed against Shota.

Cara remained rooted to her spot. Her feet moved an inch more to plant into the dirt. Shota screamed even higher as Cara pushed the Agiel even harder into her abdomen. "How do you like it bitch?" She twisted the Agiel tighter. "How do you like being on a receiving end of pain?"

Richard wrapped his arms around Cara's thin waist and jerked with all his might. Cara just tightened up her muscles and refused to move. He himself was suddenly jerked away from the Mord'Sith. He fell heavily onto his ass – eyes wide as he watched Kahlan calmly stand behind Cara and touch her shoulder. Cara sighed deeply and pulled the Agiel from Shota.

Shota crumbled onto the road and rolled into a fetal position.

Cara moved like she was going to kneel down next to the witch. Her hand holding the Agiel was itching to go back to hurting the fallen red head skinning as hell She-Witch. Kahlan's hold just tighten on her shoulder. "Enough Cara." Kahlan said in a low but forceful tone.

Cara's neck twisted so she could look steely into the Mother Confessor's eyes. "No. It's not enough that I have given Shota. She deserves and will get a lot more than just one small touch of my Agiel!" She tried to jerk her shoulder from underneath Kahlan's hand. But Kahlan refused to lose contact.

"Come away from her, Cara. She has learned her lesson." Kahlan moved even closer to Cara's stiff back. "Come on, we have to continue with our quest."

Cara stubbornly shook her head. "She hurt you. She can't get away with that."

"That was because she was scared of what would happen to the world if Richard and I actually managed to be together." Kahlan sighed. "I don't approve of her methods – but she had _every_ reason too be worried." She couldn't hide the shiver that always came when she thought about being completely wrapped with snakes. She wrapped her free hand around Cara's slim waist as she had been talking. She knew that Cara would never force her away physically.

"Snakes." Cara breathed. "She used snakes. Fully knowing that you were deathly afraid of them. She even used poisonous ones."

**_~ Kahlan was covered by a writhing mass of snakes. The ones he recognized were all poisonous. Big, fat ones were wrapped around her legs, one coiled tightly around her waist, constricting; others were wrapped around her arms, which hung at her sides._**

**_Small snakes squiggled, tunneling through her thick hair, flicking their tongues out; others curled around her neck; still more slithered down the front of her shirt, poking their heads out between the buttons. He struggled to control his breathing as he approached her. His heart was pounding. Tears ran down Kahlan's cheeks, and she shook the slightest bit._**

**_"Be still," he said in a quiet voice. "I'll get them off."_**

**_"No!" she whispered back. Her eyes, wide with panic, met his. "If you touch them, or if I move, they will bite me." ~ (_****Wizard's First Rule****)**

Kahlan blinked back the tears, but she knew that she couldn't mask the sheer terror that over came her. She felt Cara stiffen even tighter underneath her. Her grip just tightened as her breathing began to quicken. Before she knew it she was in full on panic attack.

Richard wanted to grab Kahlan into his arms the moment that she first started too hyperventilate; but Cara just pulled Kahlan tightly against her. Her hands gripping the brunette's back and she simply held Kahlan. He wanted to yell and scream at Cara that is was _his _job to protect, and comfort Kahlan. That Kahlan's soul belong solely too him. But he remained silent.

Kahlan saw black, reds, blues, oranges, yellows, than all white. But the only thing she heard was Cara's calming voice. It surrounded her. "I'm here Mother Confessor, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'll protect you and keep you safe – just as your mother did when you were a little child. I'm here for you, Kahlan. I'm never leaving." She came to herself as she just wrapped herself tighter around the firm body of the blond Mord'Sith. She allowed herself to break. As she never allowed herself to break as she fully realized that she wasn't meant to marry Richard. That the snakes was Shota's way of showing her the truth.

The truth that she was fully accepting in this moment – with Cara's arms tightly around her.

Cara felt the hot tears of the broken woman in her arms. She wanted to twist around and use her Agiels against the She-Witch once more. She wanted to use them to finally kill the bitch whom dared to harm the Mother Confessor. Shota was a dead lady for hurting Kahlan. She heard Kahlan's whimpers against her neck. She made soothing noises – as one would do with a baby.

Shota had gotten herself back together. She slowly unwound herself. Hissing as the pain in her stomach cried out for stillness. She had a battle to fight and win. She was Shota after all. No one got the better of her. Not the Mother Confessor. Not the Seeker. Not the Wizard of the First Order. Not the Mord'Sith especially! She had some mighty pay back to deal out to the red leather blond whom used her Agiel on her. Lifting her head she paused in her hatred.

_Now this is an interesting turn of events. A turn that even I could never dream. If a year ago a vision stated that the Mother Confessor would find comfort in the arms of a Mord'Sith – than I would __have laughed to my death. _A small smirk up lifted her lips as she simply watched the Mord'Sith so caring, and dare she say; so loving; taking care of a Confessor. Her mortal enemy. The _Mother _Confessor never less. She could tell that The Mother Confessor couldn't confess this Mord'Sith. _I can use this my advantage. _

Shota looked behind them and sees the pleased look in the Wizard's face. _He's not surprised by this development by two mortal enemies. He looked like he was fully expecting this event to happen._ She turned her head and looked at the Seeker. Her smirk grew as she noticed how nonplussed Richard was. _He knows the truth. He knows that what the Mord'Sith and the Mother Confessor have is more than a simple friendship. He knows that it runs deeper than that._

_My poor Richard. I tried too warn him when I first met him. He should have just turned and walked away from Kahlan. I would never had allowed one snake to bite her. I wouldn't have the death of the Mother Confessor on my hands. The last Confessor. All Richard had too do was walk away, than Kahlan would have been free to go. _Shota sighed in sadness. _Oh Richard, once your soul is finally free of Kahlan Amnell, then darling boy; you'll find your true soul mate._

Shota got to her feet, and prepared herself for a fight when the two women finally realized that she was still standing in front of them. She wasn't going to be unprepared with the Mord'Sith ever again. She would truly piss the Mord'Sith off by never screaming due to the Agiel ever again. She couldn't wait.

But wait she had too.

"Cari," Kahlan breathed.

"I will always protect you, Mother Confessor. Even with my life." Cara breathed her undying promise. "This has nothing too do with what Lord Rahl has commanded me." She squeezed Kahlan one last time before pulling away. She gently pushed Kahlan to the right towards Zedd. She looked at Richard for a quick moment and slanted her eyes. She turned quickly and grabbed her left leg Agiel and used both Agiels against Shota's neck. "Thought you would mentally prepare yourself for the attack, Bitch. Well let me tell you, Shota, there is no fucking way you can mentally prepare for the feel of the Agiel – not until you are broken." She watched as Shota tried to jerk out of her touch. But the Agiels just jetted future and firmer against the smooth skin of Shota's neck. She watched gleefully as the blood oozed out of the wounds.

"That's enough!" Richard's roar suddenly hit her full on. Before she knew it she was knocked away from Shota, and hit the ground hard. She couldn't stop the monumental and the right side of her head hit one of the Agiels. She heard herself scream as she felt the overwhelming pain. She hadn't prepared herself for this latest attack of Darken Rahl's. He just smirked as he just put even more pressure on the Agiel. She was crying for her mother. She was crying for her sister. She was crying for her daddy.

Why didn't her daddy come and save her? Why isn't he wrapping his loving arms around her, and pulling her tightly against him?

Richard had moved with the monumental himself. He didn't watch where Cara landed, he just moved swiftly to Shota's side – just barely catching the woman before she fell backwards onto the world. "How could you do this, Cara?" He screamed not looking over his shoulders. His ears were closed too all sound – expect for Shota's ragged breathing. "This is it, Cara! You are no longer welcomed to travel with us. I will not have a Mord'Sith near my family!" His hand rose shakily as he tried to take Shota's pulse.

"Richard." Kahlan's voice broke through his righteous anger.

"No Kahlan.." Richard never tore his eyes off of Shota's closed eye lids. "This is my final straw."

"Richard!" Kahlan pleaded.

Shota's eyes slowly flicking. When he saw that her eyes were opening and she recognized him – he turned to glare at Cara. What he found instead ran his blood cold. A sheen of cold sweat broke out all over his body.

Cara was lying with her head on Kahlan's lap. Unconscious. But what made his blood run cold was the fact that Cara's right side of the face was beyond recognizable. He saw every vein that made her face. He saw the white of her bones laid bare next to the pushed aside torn muscles.

Tears were steaming down Kahlan's cheeks as she begged for Cara to wake up. All she wanted was for the blond Mord'Sith to wake up. She wanted to see those intense and beautiful blue eyes to look up at her. She would even take Cara's sarcasm on her crying over something that was nothing to the Mord'Sith.

"Please be all right Cari. Please." Kahlan whimpered as she tried to wipe all the blood from Cara's face.

**END CHAPTER ONE**


End file.
